Prince of Thieves
by ZeeofGreenEyes
Summary: KuroxFai, SyaoranxSakura, various others. In a time where the poverty rate and taxes are high, a master archer, the hot-headed boy who is obsessed with beating him and a young orphan girl fight to place the correct King on the throne. Robin Hood-esque AU.
1. Scroll I

The first time they met, neither of them were outlaws.

Fai was 18, already an accomplished archer and renowned for his skill with a bow. At 18, there were perhaps twenty bowmen and women who could have beaten him if they'd tried, and only a handful that could claim themselves his equal. For being the orphaned son of a blacksmith, Fai had made a name for himself as a prodigy, one who would no doubt surpass all others in time if he honed his skills and trained. There was a reputation that had attached itself to his name that proclaimed him as the expected champion of the sport; if he could be so accomplished at such a young age, there would be no doubt that he would one day be a master who could not be surpassed.

Kurogane had been a little kid, just starting to learn how to fight. In Britania, Fai might have been a growing legend, but in Paria he was a well-kept secret. He'd been concentrating more on the sword anyway, the swordsmen only paid attention to rumours like that if they were itching to find themselves a battle partner.

When Fai had come to Paria for a tournament, Kurogane had been the apprentice to Maid Souma, a master of both the sword and the bow. He'd thought Fai was just another idiot here to try and challenge his mistress' skill. There was no archer better than Souma in Paria; perhaps she might have been the best in the world had she not concentrated her training on two separate weapons. Kurogane had only managed to become her apprentice through his father's connections.

Fai had arrived late to the tournament. The opening ceremony had already begun when he'd clopped in on his old horse, a quiver slung sloppily over one shoulder and a royal-blue hood pulled up over his head.

"Kurogane, go help that man," Souma had whispered to him. Kurogane wrinkled his nose. "I don't need you right now and he looks like he's lost."

Grumbling, Kurogane had gone over to the man on the gray stallion. The man tugged his hood down, revealing a head of messy blond hair and twin sapphire eyes. There weren't many blonds in Paria, and Kurogane, being young and stupid, had been rather struck right off the bat.

Then the stranger had opened his mouth and spoke.

"Hyuu! Are you my competition?" Fai had asked as Kurogane had offered him a hand down.

"No," Kurogane said. "I'm Souma-san's apprentice."

"Souma-san is a good warrior," he'd said, looking over at the tanned woman. "I knew her when she was just getting started. I was little like you then!"

"I'm not little!" Kurogane growled, irritated that the man hadn't taken his hand yet. He withdrew it.

"Of course you're not! You look just like my puppy back home, that's why I said it!" he said, patting him on the head. Kurogane glared up at him, fighting the urge to shout at the man. If he insulted another competitor, he'd be punished and possibly disowned. "I'm Fai D. Flowright."

"The tournament has already started," Kurogane said. Fai only smiled at him. "…Whaaat?"

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What's your name, little one?"

"I'm not little!" Kurogane snapped. "I'm Kurogane."

"Nice to meet you, Kuro-sama," Fai said, finally slipping off his horse and grabbing up Kurogane's hand. Kurogane couldn't help flushing a little, not used to people touching him. The idiot deposited the horse's reins in his hand and grinned at him once more before hitching up his quiver. He wandered over to the line of archers and took his place beside Kurogane's mistress, whispering something to her that made her nod.

Kurogane glared and turned to take the horse to the stable. What an idiot. Souma wouldn't have any trouble defeating HIM.

The tournament progressed and Fai surprised Kurogane with his skill. He wasn't bad, the apprentice had to admit. He was careless and didn't take enough time to line up his shots before firing, but Parian archers were not exactly up to par with that of Britania's, where all the best archers went. He made shot after shot, his distinctive arrows with the blue fletching zipping neatly through the air to embed themselves in the painted tarp. Only once did his shots land outside of the two most inner rings, and three times he'd even hit the bullseye.

He wouldn't beat Souma, Kurogane told himself. She was the best there was in Paria.

"That's Fai D. Flowright," someone remarked beside him. Kurogane looked over; Yuzuriha was the apprentice to Kusanagi, another Parian archer who'd come from over the mountains to compete. He wasn't a daring athlete but he had a steady hand and a sharp eye. He'd crack the top five at least, but it was doubtful he'd win. He didn't take enough chances.

"Who cares?"

"He's really good!" Yuzuriha exclaimed, watching with wide eyes as Fai lined up his shot and loosed his arrow. It thumped into the target, straddling the line between the center and the innermost ring. He grinned carelessly and slung the bow over his shoulder as though he'd hardly been paying attention.

"He looks like he doesn't even give a damn," Kurogane remarked. Something about that guy…

"He's only eighteen and he's competing against Souma-san and Kusanagi-san!" Yuzuriha said, clasping her hands together behind her back. "Apparently he's a real big shot back in Britania. He's so cool!"

"I don't give a damn about what they consider 'good' over there. He's still gotta beat Souma," Kurogane insisted. Yuzuriha laughed and watched the match fixedly as Kusanagi took his turn, pinning an arrow to the outside of the innermost ring.

The tournament came down to the final three competitors and a break was announced. Souma came over to Kurogane, her forehead caked in sweat and a determined, self-satisfied gleam in her eyes. She glanced over to the tent where the royal family was watching; the Queen Oruha and her daughter, Kendappa, were speaking eagerly.

"It's a good thing I told you to speak to that man, Kurogane," Souma said, ripping her gaze away from the princess. "That was-"

"I know," Kurogane said. He couldn't believe that idiot had made it to the top three. He was wandering around, looking like he had no interest in what was going on, kicking at daisies and twirling his bow around one arm. He'd been watching him closely and had to admit that there was a level of skill, but it wasn't concentrated. He wasn't trying.

"I knew him when I was younger," she said. "He's grown a lot. He could teach you a thing or two if he ever decides to speak to you again,"

"I don't want any lessons from that guy," Kurogane grumbled, but Souma was already bending a new bow, working her arm around so that the muscles wouldn't cramp.

"Go get me a sharpening stone, would you?" Souma said after a spell.

Kurogane hurried off, grabbing the stone from one of the bags in Souma's tent and making his way back to the tournament grounds.

"Hey there, Kuro-tan!" came a voice. Kurogane groaned and stopped, looking over at that stupid blond archer and he leaned against his bow with a goofy smile.

"It's Kurogane," he said.

"Don't you want a nickname? People will remember it better when you become a famous archer," Fai said, petting Kurogane's head again. The apprentice shoved him off indignantly.

"Who says I'm gonna be an archer?"

Fai blinked at him.

"You're an archer's apprentice," he said. Kurogane shrugged.

"Souma is teaching me the sword, too," he said. "I like it better."

"Nooo, why?" Fai whined, twirling his bow around. "Swords are heavy and it's so much effort to swing them around."

"I like it better," he said again. "You can the movement in your hands and you get up-close with your opponent. It's skill against skill. It's fair. With archery, you're hitting someone from far away."

"Bows are the weapons of cowards, hmm?" Fai said, smiling enigmatically. Kurogane shrugged.

"I like the sword better," he said. "I'm better at it."

"No wonder, with those scrawny arms!" Fai said, poking Kurogane's arm. "You probably can't draw the string back all the way, huh? It takes a lot of muscle to do that!" He patted his own bicep, which was practically invisible, in demonstration. Kurogane was amazed that such a skinny guy could draw the string back as far as he did.

"My arms are fine!" he growled. "At least I actually try when I practice! You're just muddling your way through without even bothering to do your best!"

Fai's eyes widened, looking down at Kurogane with a surprised expression. All too quickly it was covered up by a smile, his eyes skittering away from Kurogane's to look over at the tournament ring.

"You noticed?" he said simply.

"I don't need to be lectured by some guy who doesn't care if he wins or loses," Kurogane grumbled. He was really crossing the line now, but somehow he doubted this guy would rat him out. Fai just laughed at him.

"Kuro-sama, you know what the prize for this tournament is, right?" he asked. Kurogane blushed and looked down at his feet.

"A trophy and the prize money," he said, rubbing at his arm awkwardly. "A-and a kiss. From Lady Kendappa."

"That's right," Fai said, grinning away.

"Kurogane!" Souma called, waving at Kurogane from across the field. Kurogane gave Fai one last wary look before running off towards her. What a weird guy, he thought. Why should the prize make any difference? If you were an athlete, you competed to win. It didn't matter what the prize was.

In the end, it came down to Souma and Fai. Souma shot expertly, landing an arrow almost exactly in the center. Her eyes were set in determination and once she'd made her shot, she relaxed and looked over to the royal tent once more. Kendappa was hiding behind her fan, her expression unreadable.

Fai drew back his arm and took aim, lining up his shot carefully. Kurogane watched him like a hawk, taking in the way he stood, the line of the shot. He wasn't half-assing this one, Kurogane realized, gripping Souma's bow tighter. He was considering this.

The shot was lined up perfectly, he realized, absorbing every inch of the blond. He was going to split Souma's arrow and win the tournament. He could see the exact spot the arrow would hit just by looking at the blond's eyes hover over the target. Souma was going to lose.

Then, at the last minute, the blond jerked his shot to the left. The arrow flew through the air and pierced the largest ring. Kurogane watched, dumbstruck. The blond had never hit anything less than the second-smallest ring. His shot had been perfect, why had he moved?

"Whoops," Fai said, shrugging carelessly and launching right back into not giving a damn. "Looks like you win this time, Souma-san."

"This time," Souma said with a slight smile. "Next time we meet, I might not be so lucky. You're very skilled, Fai-san."

"Not enough to beat you yet," Fai said, smiling. "You better to claim your prize."

Souma left to collect the money. Lady Kendappa gave her a long, albeit chaste, kiss on the lips, and when Souma drew back both women were smiling. Kurogane rolled his eyes; it was common knowledge that the two were interested in one another.

He wandered over as the two women talked to each other in low voices, somehow figuring that he would be waiting for a while. Fai was watching the two with a masked smile, stringing his bow over his back and stretching easily.

"You lost on purpose," Kurogane accused him, looking up at the older man. Fai smiled down at him.

"You think?" he said.

"I know," Kurogane said. "That was stupid of you. An athlete is supposed to try to win, no matter what."

"I like the bow better," Fai said. "The sword might be more honest, but the bow requires skill as well. With the sword, even in friendly tournaments, there's always the chance someone will get hurt. With the bow, there's more… freedom. Here, I can concentrate only on another's skill without worrying about whether or not I'll hurt anyone."

Kurogane had never given a damn about the bow. He'd taken his lessons and practiced, but only enough to ensure that Souma would keep him on as an apprentice and continue teaching him the sword. When his apprenticeship was over, he planned to become a swordsman and abandon the bow altogether.

"Besides, I don't really want to kiss Lady Kendappa. She's kind of scary," Fai said, laughing airily and scratching at the back of his head. "She's the one who should be teaching you about the sword if you really wanna become a swordsman."

"…Souma learned both," Kurogane said, stomping away when he noticed the two women parting.

"That's the spirit, Kuro-tan!" Fai called after him. Kurogane glared at him over his shoulder.

A few years passed and Kurogane grew as both a swordsman and a bowman. He concentrated just as much of his time on the bow as he did on the sword, and he was improving in leaps and bounds. He still liked the sword better; he could feel his enemy's strength, something he couldn't do with the bow. Still, whenever he practiced with the lighter weapon he would think about Fai and his words, and somehow it inspired him to continue on. He wanted to understand the other man's appreciation for the weapon; in some ways, his words had been like a challenge he found himself unable to back down from.

His apprenticeship ended and he began to make a name for himself as both a swordman and a bowman. The King himself invited him to several tournaments, possibly because there hadn't been any truly good warriors from Paria since Souma had gotten married and settled down and there was a gap to fill. Paria tournaments weren't anything special, and he quickly gained a reputation, beating most of his opponents with ease. He kept his eyes open for a flash of blond, but Fai was nowhere to be found.

Britania was where you needed to be if you wanted to be an archer. So that's where Kurogane went. 

When they met again, it had been years. Kurogane was sixteen, still young and rash but concentrated in his career. He'd managed to get into an archery tournament in Britania after a few months of practice to meet the standards of the Archer's country, one he was sure Fai would be in.

The blond had lived up to all expectations and was, at this point, renowned as the best Archer in the world. He hadn't lost a tournament since he turned twenty, and his skill was almost legendary in nature.

He still showed up late to the tournament.

They'd started without him this time. Kurogane was lining up his own shot when he'd caught sight of the somehow familiar blond head riding in on that gray stallion he was surprised was still alive. He unconsciously straightened, taking even more care to aim his shot precisely. He forced himself not to check to see if the blond was watching before letting his shot fly. The arrow pierced the center, almost exact although not quite. He was off to a good start.

Grinning wolfishly, he turned to look at the blond archer. He hadn't seen him in years, but Fai looked like he'd stepped right out of his memory. He was still tall and lanky and wearing that silly grin, but he showed no sign of age or maturity. He made his way to the ring, working his shoulder and smiling amusedly at Kurogane.

"I'd recognize that spiky head anywhere!" he said, laughing as he petted the aforementioned head that was now level with his own. Kurogane growled; wasn't he going to say anything about his skill? "You're Souma-san's old apprentice, aren't you? I've been hearing about you for a while now."

"Yeah?" Kurogane said, happy that the blond remembered him. It would mean a lot less trouble. "Glad I made such an impression."

"Souma-san and I started writing each other after that day," Fai said. "She told me all about you, and how you kept asking about me. Such a nosy puppy," he said, removing his hand. Kurogane fought down a blush. Out of all the scenarios he'd pictured whenever he'd thought about meeting the blond again, this hadn't been one of them. He'd hit the center target. Fai should have been appreciating his skill as an archer, not making fun of him!

He moved to the side in order to let Fai take his turn. He watched in horror as Fai drew back his bow, aimed, and shot in what had to be a matter of seconds. Without taking his time, without needing to, the arrow sliced through the air and hit the center, splitting his own arrow impossibly in two.

"You're getting better, Kuro-sama," Fai said, swinging his bow over his shoulders. "But you're not as good as me yet."

Kurogane lost the tournament. He didn't even come in among the top ten. The archers in Britania were at a completely different level than Parian archers, and it only added fuel to his desire to better himself. Fai took home the top prize, and with a wink and a pat on the shoulder, left Kurogane on the field.

He went to the pub that night, angry that he'd lost and that the archer he'd been chasing had hardly said five words to him. He wasn't sure why the blond had left such an impression on him, but all he knew was that he'd kept with the stupid bow even though the sword was his real passion. He'd kept with it so that he could understand why Fai preferred it. He wanted to know, and he wanted the archer to appreciate him as a fellow bowman.

Besides Souma, he'd never cared for anyone's approval before.

He followed Fai from tournament to tournament, determined to hone his own skill and impress the other man. They would talk and occasionally go to the pub with the other archers, but Kurogane remained unable to best the blond. He was getting better with practice and improving his reputation; it was another year before he was able crack the final rounds, and yet another before he managed to stand next to him in second place.

Still, he couldn't defeat him. Fai split his arrows every time.

"Cheer up, Kuro-tan! You're the best runner-up around!" Fai said, clapping Kurogane on the back as the archer slumped over the bar. The blond had a large sack of gold slung over one shoulder and was smiling smugly at him. Kurogane growled into his drink and looked away; damn idiot. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't beat him. He was as scrawny as a stick!

"Shut up," he said, draining the rest of his tankard. He stood, a bit unstable on his feet after drowning his sorrows, and towered over the blond darkly.

"Hyuu, so scary!" Fai said, patting Kurogane on the cheek. "…Ah, Kuro-tan, when did you grow taller than me?"

"I've been taller than you for ages!" Kurogane roared, slapping the other archer's hand away. Damn it, how hard was it to get this moron to notice him?! He ran a hand down his face as Fai laughed it off.

"You're growing up so fast, Kuro-ruu!" Fai said fondly.

"I AM grown-up, dammit!" Kurogane growled, pushing past the blond. He didn't want Fai to look at him as a kid. He was an accomplished athlete, an ADULT, and he wanted the blond to see him as an equal. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted it a hell of a lot. If he could just beat him, just one…

"Uwah, Kuro-tan, don't storm off!" Fai said, trailing after him. "Are you going to the tournament in Casst?"

"…The Queen's tournament?" Kurogane said dubiously. "It's in Casst."

"I know, but it's pretty prestigious and there are events in the sword, too!"

Kurogane looked down at the sword hanging from his belt.

"Thought you'd like that, Kuro-rin! So, are you going?"

"…Are you?"

"Maaaaybe."

"…I might."

* * *

When Kurogane won his first tournament, Fai was nowhere to be seen. That stupid blond had led him on; he'd traveled for three days to Casst just to enter the damn tournament and totally obliterated the competition in the sword arena. That absolute idiot hadn't even shown up, hadn't even _entered_.

There was a certain bitter sweetness in accepting the golden statuette designating him the top performer overall when there wasn't a single blond head in the crowd.

Bastard.

The Queen of Casst's witch was there to offer up the prize on behalf of her Lady. She was a bewitching woman with knowing eyes that Kurogane didn't trust for a second. Long strands of black hair were draped across her shoulders and silk clung indecently to every curve of her body.

The prize for this particular tournament had been an induction into the Queen's troupe of knights. Kurogane hadn't known that when he'd entered, he'd just written his name down on the paper and showed up when they'd told him too. He had to decline the title and let the woman know that he wasn't the type to stay down in one place, that he had to keep going to win tournaments and prove himself.

The witch laughed.

"You can still do all that," she said, waving a gloved hand. "But under a royal name, you would get into more prestigious tournaments and have more freedom in terms of where you compete. Do you still decline?"

"I don't care about titles," Kurogane said warily. 

The witch gave him a knowing look.

"It will cement your name as a respected archer," she continued, elbowing him conspiratorially in the arm. "And impress your sweetheart."

"I don't have anything like that."

"Oh, no?"

"…"

He took the damn title.

* * *

"A knight to the Queen, huh?" Fai asked over a pint of ale, grinning enigmatically. "Hyuu, so cool!"

"Shut up! You didn't go to the tournament," Kurogane accusted, uncomfortable in the fancy clothes he was required to wear now that he was a noble of sorts. Fai was darting this way and that, trying to take in every inch of the fancy uniform and acting like an annoying fly hovering over a plate of raw meat. No matter how many times he swatted at him, he kept buzzing back.

"I know," Fai said, grinning. "I didn't want to be a knight."

"As though you'd win for sure!" Kurogane snarled, finally batting him away successfully and taking a seat next to him. "Why'd you send me to that tournament if you weren't going to compete?"

"Kuro-sama can't spend his entire career chasing after someone better than him," Fai said, idly trailing one finger over the rim of his mug. "Especially if his heart isn't in it for the right reasons."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurogane said. Fai smiled enigmatically.

"You need to find your own place, Kuro-tan. What makes you happy."

"It does make me happy."

"You're not a bowman, Kuro-tan," Fai said simply. Kurogane was taken aback for a second, not expecting the blond to make such a blunt comment. "You only compete because you think you have something to prove."

"That's not true!" Kurogane snarled. Fai reached over and trailed a finger down Kurogane's chest thoughtfully. Kurogane froze up, his face colouring a bit at the teasing touch. Fai's finger stopped over his breast pocket.

"Your heart is elsewhere when you fight," he said softly, lost in thought.

"…I can't beat you," Kurogane said, swallowing thickly, trying to ignore the hand against his chest. "I don't understand what it is that you have that I don't. I'm not gonna give up until I do."

"And then what?"

"…Then…" He didn't have an answer. He'd always told himself it was to gain the blond's respect, to make him admit that he wasn't just some guy who happened to compete in the same tournament. He was someone the blond should _care about_, dammit, and he-

…He wanted to understand him.

"Maybe you'll finally quit callin' me by those damn stupid names," Kurogane settled on, huffing and shoving Fai away. Fai smiled and shrugged easily.

"You're no fun," he said, standing.

"Where're you running off to now?"

"I have some people to meet with," Fai said, his eyes glazing over in deep, somber thought. "Sorry, Kuro-rin, you're not allowed to come."

"I didn't ask!" Kurogane growled, hunching over the table.

"Not anymore," Fai added to himself sadly as he turned to leave. Kurogane watched him go bitterly. Stupid idiot. Always wandering off whenever Kurogane found him.

The next time Kurogane saw Fai, they were enemies. 


	2. Scroll II

One of the very nice things about being knighted was that Kurogane never had to worry about lodging. Nobles - and Kurogane supposed he was a noble now, even if it was only in title - were always given the best rooms in the inns, and if the Queen was present, a separate living space was set up for those of noble blood. It made tournaments more accessible, since sleeping in cramped tents pitched by amateurs had never been Kurogane's favourite part of the job.

The Queen herself was stoic and tight-lipped, her bushy hair the only wild aspect of her appearance. Her King, a bespectacled man with soft features, was rarely seen, spending much of his time talking to dignitaries and ordering tax raises. The Queen, whom Kurogane had, despite his indifference towards both royals, agreed to work for, was little more than a vessel of publicity for the royal family.

He was required to show up for knighting ceremonies every once in a while, and if the Queen was present at a tournament he was required to go through a certain protocol and acknowledge that he was competing for the glory of his Mistress, but they were nothing more than words. The means to an end.

He wasn't competing for her.

He hadn't seen Fai since he'd left him in that tavern in Casst. The blond had all but disappeared, failing to register for any of the regular tournaments, nor any of the unofficial one-rounds that were run by people not affiliated with the state. At least, his name had not appeared on any of the rosters; it was as though he'd disappeared off the face of the planet.

In all fairness, Kurogane thought, the world was hardly in the best shape for such trivial things as weaponry competitions any longer.

Over the last year or so, taxes had begun to rise. The King insisted that the money was needed in order to rejuvenate the country, but all it had done was left many people scrambling to make ends meet. Kurogane was lucky; he was a noble, and therefore had avoided some of the heavier taxes for a while. It had gotten to the point, however, where the average worker had been reduced to a diet of bread and cheese, and what had once been wealthy merchants were forced to slash their prices almost in half so that most people could afford their wares.

Throughout all this, Kurogane thought the one person who would be alright was Fai. He always won. He always walked away with the biggest prize. There was no way Fai of all people would have been ruined by the tax hikes.

But Fai was nowhere to be found.

In frustration, Kurogane stopped competing in archery. There was no point without him there, and he was winning enough in the sword to keep himself afloat. He was granted a small purse of silver every so often in accordance with his title, but the main benefit to being a knight was the title itself and the right to own more land than a peasant was allowed.

He competed and won in the sword tournaments, keeping an ear open always for word of his former rival, until the King decided to ban tournaments altogether.

It was too expensive, the King argued. People were starving and unemployed and there were some who wanted him to fund trivial games? He wouldn't have it!

Never mind, Kurogane thought, that it was the King's fault that his people were in such a poor state. Never mind that the games boosted moral and gave them a certain unity that bred hope. Never mind that there was so little joy left to squeeze out of the world that the tournaments had given everyone something to look forward to.

It didn't help anything, and it frustrated him more than anything. People still had to resort to begging in the streets, children still had to look for odd jobs just to help their families survive.

It made him sick.

It was raining on the twentieth of the first month after tournaments had been outlawed. It fell from the sky in thin pinpricks, a sheen of coolness clinging to the earth and mud. Kurogane rode into the tiny down of Hoode, his black mare grunting at the sight of civilization at the end of a long journey.

There were a few people huddling under alcoves who watched him miserably as he tromped through town, gathered together for more warmth than their leaking homes could provide. His hands tightened around the reigns of his horse and he forced himself to look away.

He'd been traveling for ages to get here; the town of Hoode, where the castle was, where the King and Queen lived. He'd been struggling to make ends meet himself lately, what with the tournaments cancelled, where he'd made the bulk of his money. He'd reluctantly accepted a post as a castle guard, knowing that steady pay and access to a wealth of information would be an improvement over wandering aimlessly, chasing a man who might as well not exist any longer.

He quickly dismounted and got his horse settled in one of the stables, using his last few coins to secure lodging for the night. He ran a hand comfortingly down the length of the horses' snout, turning to make his way out of the stable when he caught sight of a figure leaning easily against the archway.

His shoulders looked thinner, draped in a ratty green cloak that all but shielded his frame, likely just as noodle-thin as the curve of his neck and the line of his jaw. He'd let his hair grow out, out of laziness of on purpose it was impossible to tell, and had tied it back with a piece of straw. He was leaning against the side of the stable threshold, staring out at the gray, muddy courtyard as the rain continued to fall miserably.

"H-hey!"

He turned, and for the first time Kurogane saw in Fai some indication of age. He was still youthful in the face, but his eyes were tired, and his body was no longer loose and uncaring. He stood straighter, hands at his sides and his posture stiff and awkward. Not at all like the easygoing young man Kurogane had first met on the Parian archery field, his bow slung over his shoulder and his hip jutted to the side as though he couldn't be bothered to stand up straight.

"Is that you, Kuro-sama?" Fai asked, squinting into the warm darkness of the stable. Kurogane stomped across the hay-strewn stable and grabbed the blond's arm, jerking him forward so that he was forced to face him.

"Don't pretend you don't recognize me," he said, gripping his arm tighter. He wasn't going to slip away this time.

Fai smiled thinly.

"It's just a greeting," he said.

"Where the hell have you been?! You all but disappeared off the face of the planet-!"

"Aah, that hurts!" Fai said, tugging at his arm as he smiled uncomfortably. Kurogane didn't give an inch, glaring down at him pointedly. "I've been away, Kuro-tan. You know the tournaments are closed, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Kurogane snapped. "And you stopped competing way before then! You look like death walking!"

"That's such a mean thing to say!"

"Don't patronize me! Where the hell did you disappear to?!"

Fai slowly opened his eyes and made as if to speak. He quickly shut his mouth and looked over to the side, to an empty stall that had just been cleaned in preparation for a new customer and a fresh horse.

"…There were things I had to do," he said quietly. Kurogane was about to ask what the hell that meant before Fai was turning back and grinning inanely. "How has Kuro-tan been doing all this time?"

Fucking horrible, he wanted to say.

"I'm doin' better than a lot of people," he settled on, looking down at Fai's torn robe, taking in the ugly green that looked like dying moss clinging to a stone wall. "Including you, it looks like."

"I got by," Fai said, shrugging. Kurogane's grip tightened.

"You shouldn't have just taken off," he growled. "You coulda come to me if you were having trouble, idiot. I could have-"

"You've accepted a job at the castle, haven't you?" Fai interrupted him, looking up to meet his eyes for the first time. "I can't accept your help."

"…Why not? What's my job got to do with it? I coulda-!" he cut himself off, noticing the look in Fai's eyes and swallowing back his words. The blond was smiling up at him, looking straight at him with something that wasn't amusement for once.

"No matter how long I stay away, Kuro-sama remains the same, huh?" he said, eyes dancing with thinly-veiled affection.

Kurogane, suddenly very aware of how close he'd been leaning in, jerked back a little, his face flushing with embarrassment. He was, all of a sudden, acutely aware of his hand over Fai's arm, the proximity of their bodies to one another, and the warmth coming from the other man's thin body that fought off the chill from the rain.

His eyes flicked down to look at the curve of his smile, swallowing thickly. Without thinking, he was leaning forward, compelled by a thought he was trying his hardest not to explore. His hand loosened around Fai's arms as his eyes slid shut, inching forward once more.

A whistle. Long and man-made and shrill, coming from somewhere off in the distance. Kurogane's eyes snapped open, inches away from the blond, that yellow hair tickling his forehead and the sensation of the other man's breath wafting over his mouth. Fai turned, calm as could be, and looked out across the landscape.

"I have to go," he said quietly, slipping out of Kurogane's grip and tugging his hood over his head. He picked up a bow that Kurogane hadn't noticed before, propped up against the stable wall, and hopped up on the gate.

"Hey! Wait!" Kurogane snapped, rushing forward and grabbing onto the scruff of the blond's collar. "You can't just take off like that!"

Fai stared at him in slight surprise, crouched on the gate, one hand wrapped around the wooden pillar. He didn't say anything, only looked at Kurogane, waiting for him to explain himself. The swordsman faltered, knowing what he wanted but unable to form the words.

Another whistle, this time more insistent, ringing out across the courtyard. Fai looked over his shoulder briefly before pulling back, gently removing Kurogane's hand from his collar.

"Goodbye, Kurogane," Fai said, and before Kurogane could protest or comment on his full name, Fai had pushed himself up, grabbed onto the edge of the low thatch roof and pulled himself up, disappearing with a flash of his green cape.

"Hey!" Kurogane growled, leaping over the gate and staring up at the roof. It was deserted; a whistle, this time higher and more relaxed, sounded out from above him. He clenched his hands together, taking off around the stable building and running through the alleyway, trying to guess at where the blond could be headed.

He ducked through alleyways until he came to the courtyard in the center of town. His heart sank when he took in the sight of the hundreds of people crowding the open space, all pushing and standing in a circle around something. The chattering was incessant, the stench of bodies almost overwhelming.

He plunged right into the crowd, pushing towards the center, cursing the idiot for even thinking about running off just to make a scene. He'd only get himself arrested!

He managed to push his way through somehow, perhaps because he was wearing an armband that bore a royal crest, and caught sight of what was definitely _not_ Fai. He froze, staring in disbelief at the two men who bore a similar crest over their chests, brandishing swords as they looked down scornfully on a little girl in rags.

She was small and painfully thin, covered in scratches and dirt. Her chin upturned, she was obviously defying the guards; two determined green eyes stared through her matted hair, shorn off inexpertly at the chin. Her hands were clenched into small fists against the cobblestone, sprawled out on the ground where she had obviously been thrown.

"Please!" she was in the middle of saying as Kurogane got close enough to see. "Give it back to me!"

"It doesn't belong to you," one of the guards was saying, handing a reed basket over to his partner. "Stealing is against the law."

"I didn't steal it!" the girl protested. "A man gave it to me!"

"A liar, too," the other guard scoffed, peeking under the basket cover. "Nobody'd give food away in this town."

"People're starving and you're trying to take their food?" the other sneered.

The girl shook her head furiously, looking horrified.

"I would never-!"

"Don't think we haven't noticed you and your kind around. Run away from your parents, or tossed out, begging on the streets," the first guard scoffed, raising his sword towards her. She gasped, her eyes watering.

"My parents…" she said, clenching her fists tighter. "My parents were good people. They would never have tossed me away."

"Dead, then? Orphans should go to the orphanage," the second guard said, following his partner's example. The girl shook her head, biting back the tears.

"The orphanage is overcrowded!" the girl argued, scrambling back a few inches. "I-I didn't want to be a burden…"

"You're not a burden like this? Begging and remindin' people of the poverty left in the wake of Clow's reign?!"

"There was never no famine before King Clow died!" shouted a voice from the crowd, followed by a mess of voices crying out their agreement. The crowd began to push and shove, incensed by the handful of words, and Kurogane was shoved back and elbowed in the stomach.

"Oi! Calm down!" the guard who had spoken growled to the crowd, brandishing his sword like a banner of authority.

The little girl scrambled to her feet, running past the guard holding the basket and grabbing it out of his limp grip as she passed. His reflexes were too fast, however, and after a second of shock his gloved hand snapped out and grabbed her thin arm, hauling her back. She screamed, the sound lost in the mess of voices now shouting and held back by one man's sword alone.

The guard raised his hand to slap her, and Kurogane struggled to break through the crowd, watching in horror. She was just a KID! He had no love for kids in particular but it just wasn't _right_-

Something long and narrow zipped through the air, piercing the guard's hand through the palm and squirting a thin stream of blood. He howled and stumbled back, releasing the girl as the shock and pain set in, staring in horror at the arrow impaling his twitching hand.

The girl, struck dumb by the sight of the stain of crimson blood staining the white glove, looked up incredulously in the direction the arrow had come from. Standing on the thatch of one of the taller buildings, face shaded by an all-too-familiar green cloak, a bowman stood with his feet planted against the downwards slope of the roof. The wind caused his cloak to billow out, revealing a lithe form in a green tunic and quiver hanging at his waist.

Kurogane stared, wide-eyed. What was that idiot doing?! If he crossed a royal guard…

The crowd had gone silent, chilled at the act of violence against a noble; none of them had been expecting a serious rebellion. Maybe a good shove or two if things seriously got out of hand, but to actually harm a palace guard was a serious offence.

"Who is that?" the unharmed guard muttered, making his way over to his partner. "Oi! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" He was shaking with rage, just as the other guard was shaking from the pain.

The cloaked figure was silent, taking off down the length of the roof and circling the courtyard, snatching up a bottle of red liquid that had been balanced on the rooftop next to him. He leapt gracefully through the air to land on the shoulders of a massive marble statue of King Kyle, bow in one hand and bottle in the other. He deftly tugged the cork free with his mouth, pausing a moment before tipping the bottle over, drenching the statue's head in wine.

The liquid dripped down the statue's body, thick and red like blood, and a hush descended on the crowd. 

"A rebellion?!" someone shouted.

"Someone's declaring war on the king!"

"NOBODY'S REBELLING!" the able-bodied guard shouted, ripping an arrow from the quiver on his own back and tugging his bow free. He aimed an arrow carefully at the green-cloaked figure, his stance awkward and amateur. At such close range, however, it didn't matter. All he had to do was hit the target. "OI, YOU! Defacing the image of the king is against the law! Come quietly or I'll be forced to shoot!"

Another guard has arrived, presumably having heard the shouting and come down to help his colleagues. He drew his sword hurriedly after taking in the scene, shielding the guard whose hand was bleeding profusely.

The figure didn't say a word, didn't move.

"Speak if you're innocent!" the new guard hollered. "Are you denouncing your King?!"

"I am," the figure finally spoke. Kurogane's heart stopped dead in his chest, recognizing the voice but not in the deadly serious tone.

"You'll not come quietly, then!?" the first guard snarled, fingers loosening.

Kurogane jerked forward as the guard let the arrow fly.

"MOVE, YOU IDIOT!"

Fai was out of the way seconds after he'd finished the sentence, leaping from the statue and tossing the empty bottle aside. It hit the ground and shattered, the sound distracting the guards for a split second as Fai landed easily between them. He tugged a purse from his belt and yanked off the tie, arching his arm so that a wave of coins fell to the pavement in a neat crescent, a flurry of silver and gold and bronze.

The response was immediate; the crowd rushed forward, forcing Kurogane back in their desire to snatch up the much-needed money. Fai was gone, melting into the crowd as they surrounded him and the guards, fighting and shoving for the money, cloaking him perfectly from sight.

Kurogane allowed the crowd to push past him, dumbstruck.

_"You've accepted a job at the castle, haven't you?"_

"I can't accept your help."

* * *

Fai ran, out of breath, down the abandoned street. He shucked his cloak, knowing it would make him easily identifiable, straining his ears for the heavy tread of the palace guards behind him.

He'd known this would happen. He'd known he was putting his life on the line for this. He'd known that people - _Kurogane_, he thought suddenly - would be hurt by this. It had been a surprise to see the other man in the stable. He'd been waiting for the whistle, the signal of the rebel troupe he'd joined up with years ago, expecting to be alone. Not many people could afford lodging to keep horses, after all.

He'd grown up, he thought grimly. He wasn't a child anymore.

Those thoughts were cut off quickly as he heard the clamoring of weapons and voices, shouting orders to sweep the alleyways until the culprit of the demonstration was found. He skidded to a halt, looking for footholds in case he would be able to scale the building, searching the alcoves he could duck into and finding nothing.

The thick shadows of uniformed guards began creeping their way up the cobblestone walkway. He turned to go back, but shadows were looming there too, and he froze up completely. He was stuck, with absolutely nowhere to go.

"In here!" came a voice. Fai whirled around, catching sight of the girl who had spoken. The girl from the square, he realized with a start, hanging out of a hold in the wall that had previously been covered by a wooden board. Having no time to wonder, he darted forward and scrambled through the hole. The girl slammed the board back in place and they both fell deathly silent, waiting until they'd heard voices and footsteps growing louder and then fading away as the troops marched on.

Fai sighed with relief.

"This is a fake wall," the girl said quietly, touching the board. "There used to be a house here, but the people living here couldn't afford it any longer. Half of the house was destroyed in an earthquake, but this wall is still standing."

Fai looked at the little girl curiously, noting the basket clutched to her chest and her shoddy clothes. He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, and smiled kindly at her.

"Thank you for helping me," he said. "My name's Yuui."

They'd all decided to take aliases, right from the start.

"Mine is Sakura," she said, smiling back brightly. "It's the least I could do! After all, you saved me from that guard."

"People like him won't be able to bully you for long," Fai said, looking down grimly. Sakura sobered, looking down at the basket in her arms before raising her head to look Fai in the eyes.

"Are you really going to fight the king?" she asked tentatively, a somber determination arranged on her face. Fai hesitated, feeling the cool air on his sweaty skin now that the heat in his body from running so much was beginning to fade. He swallowed, tugged at his collar and collapsed completely against the wall before answering.

"Yes," he said simply, thinking that he owed this one honesty after how she'd helped him. "There are a few of us who have been planning to for a while. Today was just to let the king know of our intentions."

"Here in the city?"

"No, we…" Fai paused, looking around quickly and lowering his voice. "We've gathered elsewhere."

Her eyes swept the ground, looking troubled and thoughtful.

"I'm sorry, I know if must be upsetting-" Fai began.

"I want to help you," the girl said, giving him a cute, determined look. Fai blinked down at her in surprise.

"Help? Us?"

"My parents died in jail," Sakura said, eyes misting over at the memory. "The King threw them in there because there were too many poor people wandering the streets. They didn't do anything except have no money."

"…I'm sorry," Fai said, giving the little girl a pitying look. "Things have been hard, the last few years."

"Yes," Sakura said, wiping at her face even though she wasn't crying. "I know I'm just a kid, but I'd do anything I could to see that it doesn't happen to anyone else."

"Sakura…" Fai began, still a little wary of the idea.

"I have nowhere else to go," Sakura said, setting her jaw. "And I have as much right as anyone to fight for what's right, don't I?"

Fai sighed, smiling softly at the child.

"I suppose you're right," he said, scratching at the back of his neck. "I think you could probably say you have more reason to fight than a good number of us."

"You'll let me help?" she asked, looking hopeful.

Fai sat up, flexing his bow-hand and gathering up his weapon.

"I can't say that you'll be doing as much as some of the others will," Fai said, standing and offering the little girl a helping hand. She took it with a smile and let her help her up. "You're still very young, after all."

"I'll do all I can!" Sakura pledged, clenching her fists together and standing up on tip-toe. She paused suddenly, looking over her shoulder at the crumbling alleyway and letting the smile melt off her face. "Oh."

"Oh?" Fai echoed, looking down at the tiny rebel. Sakura looked back up at him.

"There's one thing I have to do before I can leave," she said, grabbing at the hem of his tunic.

* * *

Fai stood, leaning casually against the wall of a small house. His ears were strained for talk of the day's events, but they were far from the square and he'd been careful enough to hide his face. Once, while he was waiting, a guard clomped past; he'd given Fai a once-over, beginning to pause in his step before Fai had waved cheerily at him, whistled, and prompted him to move on.

He'd thought it when he'd still been a professional archer: things were easier when people underestimated you.

Sakura had disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway that bed behind the modest house; she was gone for a good ten minutes before her voice crept back to him.

"Yuui…"

"Yes, Sakura?" Fai asked, pushing himself off the wall and turning to greet her. "Did you get what you wanted to bring?"

"It's just…" Sakura emerged from the shadows, pulling a soot-covered boy along with her by the hand. He looked to be a few years younger than her, staring at Fai blankly through a mess of bandages that covered parts of his face, arms and hands. "This."

"Oh," Fai could only say at first. "Hello there! My name's Yuui, what's yours?"

The boy merely looked at Sakura.

"It's okay, he's the one I told you rescued me!" she told him. The boy merely stared at her, eyes blank as slates. She nodded at him after a moment and turned back to Fai.

"This is Syaoran," she said as the little boy gripped her hand tighter. "I know I have no right to ask, but… do you think he could come to?"

"Sakura, I'm not sure that-"

"I promise he won't be any trouble! It's just that I can't leave him here, alone," she said, looking troubled at the thought. "He's a good boy, I know he is! His master is just cruel, that's why he's hurt all the time."

"Master?" Fai echoed. Sakura nodded.

"Syaoran-kun lives with the coal vendor," Sakura explained. "It's his job to carry coal from house to house for people who want to heat their homes. He tries hard, but if he loses any or if he's too slow, the vendor hurts him. He doesn't like to talk."

Fai sighed; to take this one child who had a reason to join was one thing. As much as he felt for the boy, he couldn't bring him simply because he was friends with the orphan.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but-"

"Please! He has reasons too! He's the son of the King!"

That stopped Fai dead in the middle of his sentence.

"What?"

"Oh, nobody believes it but me. His mother told me before she died," Sakura explained hurriedly. "He is the son of the King and his mistress."

"The King's only son… An illegitimate son."

"Yes! But the King doesn't want anyone to know about him, so he cast his mother out. She married the coal vendor so that they wouldn't starve, but he works Syaoran to death. Please don't make me send him back there! I'm his only friend. If I leave with you, he'll be alone."

"Because he is related to the King, it wouldn't be safe for him to join us," Fai explained, kneeling down so that he could look her in the eyes. "There are probably spies making sure to track his every move."

"Why would there be such a thing?" Sakura asked, looking worriedly over at her blank-faced friend.

"To make sure he doesn't try to look for help in claiming his birthright," Fai explained, looking thoughtfully at the young prince. "I'm sorry, Sakura, but it's too much of a risk."

Sakura continued to study Syaoran, worry and guilt and sadness etched across her young face, before she sighed and met Fai's eyes again.

"Then I can't go with you," she said sadly. "I can't leave him."

"…Well," Fai conceded, stooping to peer at Syaoran's face. The boy wrinkled his nose and clung to Sakura silently. "We might be able to make a compromise."

* * *

Someone was throwing pebbles at him.

Kurogane cursed and drew his sword, scanning the castle grounds below his balcony. Another pebble bounced off his forehead and he let out yet another string of obscenities.

"Whoever that is, quit it!" he growled, watching as the wind shifted through the bushes, making it impossible to tell if someone was moving around down there or if it was just nature.

These thoughts were interrupted when a blank-faced little boy suddenly clouded his vision.

"What the hell?" he snapped, jerking back. Fai grinned and pushed himself up a bit further, clinging to the lip balcony, a strange little brown-haired boy sitting on his shoulders with his hands fisted in his hair. Kurogane looked down to see another child, this one a girl, clinging to the edge of the balcony next to Fai.

"Hey there, Kuro-tan!" Fai said, grinning.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kurogane snarled, ignoring the random children for now. "Everyone's looking for you. You idiot, what the hell were you _thinking_?"

"Kuro-sama, do you think we could come inside?"

"WHO THE HELL ARE THESE KIDS?!"

"Um. My name is Sakura," Sakura said tentatively, blushing a bit at Kurogane's outburst. "And this is Syaoran, my friend."

"Come up, Sakura, I'll help you up," Fai said, clambering over Kurogane's balcony and reaching a hand down to help her. Kurogane bristled.

"I DIDN'T SAY YOU COULD COME IN!"

"Did Kuro-rin want to have this conversation knowing I could fall to my death any second?"

"It's not that high. You'd live," Kurogane countered. Fai shrugged.

"That's pretty callous, Kuro-sama. But I'm already here, so I thought I'd ask you a favour."

"YOU-!"

"I'll answer your questions, Kuro-sama, if you'll promise me that you'll take his boy as your apprentice."

"…WHAT?"

Fai slipped Syaoran off his shoulders and plunked him down in front of Kurogane. They looked at each other with wide eyes.

"He's the coal vendor's son. It would mean a great deal to me if you could take him under your wing," Fai explained, tousling Syaoran's hair a bit. Kurogane blinked.

"…Why this kid? What're you getting out of it?"

"I'm helping a friend," Fai said, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder. The little girl fixed him with a resolute look.

"He's a good boy, and he tries really hard!" she said persuasively. "I know he'd be a good student!"

Kurogane looked back down at the kid.

"You finally show up again, say five words to me and then nearly get yourself arrested," he began, clenching his hands into fists. "And then you come back just to shove some kid on me? Am I only worth your time when you want a goddamn favour?"

He was fuming. Absolutely livid.

Fai opened his mouth to speak, giving him a pitying look that he did NOT want by any means, and then closed it. He watched as the blond turned to face the kids, saying something to them in a low voice before he turned back to face Kurogane.

"Let's talk in private," he said, walking off into Kurogane's bedroom without waiting for an answer. Kurogane glared after him; it was his room, dammit. He trailed after him like an obedient puppy, slamming the doors to the balcony shut behind him. Glaring the blond down, he watched as Fai wandered around the room, poking at things and making a general nuisance of himself.

"Hyuu, Kuro-sama has his own fireplace!"

"What the hell was that show you put on today?" Kurogane growled, getting straight to the point. Fai's back straightened.

"You know how bad things are for people," Fai said after a moment's pause. "I want to make things better. So that people can smile again."

"You'll do that by fighting the King?"

"There are several of us," Fai said simply.

"Several?!"

"The King will not help his people - he's proven that many times over," Fai said, a dark look passing over his face. "I've made my decision, Kuro-tan. I couldn't go back even if I wanted to."

"…Let me in."

"What?"

"I only took this job 'cause I needed the money to survive. Now that I've seen what his city is like, I can't find any loyalty to that imposter of a King," Kurogane explained, taking a step closer to Fai. "Any King who allows this to happen ain't worth my loyalty."

"Kuro-sama, you're affiliated with the nobles now. If you disappeared there would be questions," Fai said, shaking his head. "There would be people looking for you."

"But-!"

"The best thing you can do to help is to keep your ears open for information, and to help out Syaoran for me," Fai said, gesturing to the boy out on the balcony.

"Why d'you care so much about that kid?" Kurogane growled. Fai smiled.

"He is someone I think it would be good to protect, and I know he would be safe with you. I know that you'd take care of him."

"…_You_ do?"

"Of course. I... trust you with him," Fai said, looking a little uncomfortable with the word and taking a step towards him. "Will you do it?"

Kurogane looked grimly out at the balcony, where the boy was standing, looking lost. He sighed, scratched at the back of his head, and grunted in acquiesce.

"Thank you, Kuro-sama! You're such a nice guy!" Fai said, twining his arms around Kurogane's neck and giving him a hug. Kurogane blushed and shoved at him, trying to get him away. Fai laughed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek without thinking, which only caused the other man to blush more and shove him away even harder. Fai stumbled back, laughing and heading out to the balcony to tell the children the good news.

Syaoran would be safe here, he knew. Despite himself, he trusted the younger man to keep his word. If Syaoran was indeed the son of the King, which remained to be seen, and there were people watching him, they wouldn't dare oppose the boy becoming the apprentice to a knight. It was too close to home and would raise too many questions about why the perfectly healthy young boy had been rejected. Scrutiny was the last thing the King needed right now.

Sakura grabbed Syaoran's hands and looked at him resolutely, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I'm going to make everything alright again, I promise," she swore to the younger boy, who clutched at her hands tighter, silently begging her not to go. "I know it's hard, but I have to do this. I want to protect you and everyone else in this city." She placed a hand on Syaoran's soot-covered face. "Be good while I'm gone, okay? I'll come back to find you one day, I promise."

She made to move away, but Syaoran wouldn't let her hand go. She looked at him in surprise; the boy's eyes fluttered up to meet hers worriedly.

Slowly, she extracted her hand from his grip. She reached into the pocket of her rags and pulled out a yellow handkerchief. She handed it to Syaoran silently, watching as he look it and stared down at it incredulously.

"You can keep it until I get back. That way you can be sure we'll see each other again, because I'll have to come back for it, right?" she asked with a watery smile.

Reluctantly, Syaoran nodded, clutching the handkerchief in his fist like a lifeline.

The three of them disappeared over the balcony, leaving Kurogane alone with his thoughts.

He'd finally found the blond again, but now he was further away than ever before. He would be lying if he said he disagreed with the cause the archer was supporting, but it didn't make it any easier to take.

He sighed in irritation and left the balcony, closing the door shut behind him and vowing not to think about it until the morning, when he'd have to seek out the coal vendor and bargain the kid away from him.

That very next morning, Fai and Sakura were on their way to Sherwood forest. 


	3. Scroll III

The boy wasn't a bad pupil, Kurogane found, although part of that might have been because he wasn't much of a teacher, and had nothing to compare him to. He stood at the edge of the training ring, mopping the sweat from his brow with his shirt. He watched carefully as the kid sparred with Lantis' young apprentice, making sure his technique and stance was solid.

"Keep your arms up!" he barked, as fatigue began to show in the youth's stance. Syaoran nodded, breathing heavily, and forced his arms straight. Hikaru lunged, was blocked, darted to the left and managed to land a blow to the training pad at Syaoran's side. The boy cried out, twisting away, letting his grip on the sword weaken as he clutched at his side.

Hikaru hesitated.

"Don't go easy on him!" Kurogane snapped, feeling Lantis tensing at his side.

Hikaru threw a glance over her shoulder at the two guards before setting her jaw in determination, whirling around and promptly disarming Syaoran. The wooden training sword clattered to the ground, dust leaping up around them as the boy stumbled and fell back. The petite girl extended her sword towards him, pointing it just above his heart.

Kurogane sighed; the kid had a long way to go.

Lantis gave him a sideways glance that he ignored.

"Sorry, are you okay?" Hikaru was saying, looking worried and offering Syaoran a hand. He shook his head, smiling politely, and took it. Once he was on his feet, he patted himself down, dust rising from his tunic and coating his hair. They shook hands before Syaoran turned to slink back to his teacher.

"He's young yet. He'll learn," Lantis said before leaping over the fence towards his enthusiastic apprentice.

"Hn," Kurogane muttered, watching the quiet man place a companionable hand on the girl's head and tell her she'd done well. She lit up at his praise, smiling brightly. He turned away, looking down at his own silent apprentice.

The boy bowed his head in silent apology, clutching the wooden sword in one hand. Kurogane turned away, gesturing at him to come.

"You can't win every fight right away. You've only been training a few months. That girl's out of your league."

Syaoran trailed after his teacher, sending a questioning look up at him. Despite himself, he'd grown accustomed to reading the kid. He'd had to, dammit, since the kid wouldn't speak.

"I wanted you to get a sense of what someone near the end of their apprenticeship was like," he said. "You want to study that, make sure you reach the same level, if not exceed it. Besides, I can't figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are if I'm the only one you fight."

Syaoran looked down at the sword thoughtfully, and Kurogane could just guess what was going through his head, who he was thinking about. It made him think of his own absent person, how he hoped, despite himself, that he wasn't getting into trouble. He always paid careful attention to the jail list, which was growing longer day by day. Nobody with the name "Fai" yet.

Hoods, they were called. Vandals and criminals, painted in the royal court as heartless traitors who were merely after the royal crown. He scoffed; only that guy.

Abruptly, the kid nodded at Kurogane, sheathing the wooden sword and propping it against the wall with the others. He turned his chin up at his master, awaiting further instruction.

"That's all for today," Kurogane said, cracking his neck to the side. "You can go home. Just remember what we practiced and keep working hard. Your induction test isn't going to be easy."

Syaoran nodded, a look of determination spreading across his face. He appeared thoughtful as he removed his training gear to hang it on the wall. By the time he'd pulled on his ragged overcoat, three times too big for him, and pulled off the training boots, he had seemed to come to a decision.

Kurogane watched the kid run off, slinging his shirt over his shoulder.

"Hmph."

* * *

"Yuui!" Sakura called as she scrambled up the rope ladder. She poked her head through the foliage and clambered up on one of the thicker branches. Balancing carefully and throwing her arms out like a tightrope walker, she made her way along the branch towards the hidden tree house. A ratty cloth hung across the doorway instead of an actual door, fluttering softly in the gentle wind. Deftly, she parted the cloth and hopped onto the crude landing, knocking on the doorframe. "Yuui?"

"Here, Sakura!" Fai said, looking over his shoulder from where he sat by the window. Sakura let the cloth fall back, stepping into the tree hut. Dozens of sleeping mats littered the floor, some made and some not, dusty and crumpled beneath the bright morning light that filtered in through the crude window. Fai sat between two sleeping mats, using the ledge of the window to scribble something down on a piece of paper.

"Karura said to tell you that the scouts are back," she said. She had grown a little in the months since leaving home; there were rebels of all ages, but she was still one of the youngest, and was often used as a messenger and denied a chance to help with the more dangerous missions. She wanted to do what she could, and if this was what was needed of her right now, she would do it gladly.

"Alright," Fai said, scratching something out on the large sheet of paper and sighing, sitting back. "I'll be down in a minute."

"Are you writing a letter?" Sakura asked, tip-toeing closer, her tone kept light so that Fai could refuse to share with her if he wanted. Fai only smiled at her, ripping the paper in half and beginning anew.

"Something like that," he said, dipping his quill back in the ink. I'm trying to get my thoughts together."

"Writing them helps?" Sakura asked, looping her hands together behind her back.

"Mm, a little. Now," Fai said, laying down the quill, "do you have some thoughts you wanted to share with me, Sakura?"

"…I-is it so obvious?" Sakura asked, blushing a bit. "I was just thinking about something last night."

"What's that?" Fai asked, turning to face the little girl.

"Back in the city, it's May Day soon," Sakura began, clenching her small fists together determinedly. "Everyone shows up for the festival."

"Yes," Fai began slowly. "That's why we're sending some spies in."

"I want to volunteer," the little girl declared, fixing Fai with a cute, determined look. Fai had to smile at her, even though he knew he couldn't accept. "If you won't let me spy on the officials, at least let me come along to look after the horses while you're working."

"Sakura… If something happens, if we're discovered…"

"I'll run," Sakura promised. "I won't let myself get hurt. I'll run for help."

"…Let me think about it, okay Sakura?" Fai said, smiling.

Sakura smiled and left, leaving Fai to his thoughts. The wind drifted in through the window, cool and calming, and he rested his head in one hand, deep in thought. Then, decisively, he picked up his quill and began scribbling on the parchment.

* * *

The kid was wearing a shirt three times his size and pants covered in tears, soot and patches. His feet were bare and blackened, which wasn't a problem in the springtime when the ground was soft and the air was warm, but rather alarming. His face was covered in ash like his hands, as though he'd come straight from work without thinking to clean up.

What was most worrying was the red mark, quickly turning an ugly black, beneath his eye.

"Oi, kid," Kurogane said, placing a hand on the boy's head and pushing the hair back roughly. Syaoran winced at the touch, but didn't fight it, which was worrying enough on its own. "You master do that to you?"

Syaoran looked down miserably at his feet and Kurogane felt the urge to behead someone rising. He scoffed and crossed his arms, glowering at the proceedings.

"You'll be out of that place soon enough, once you finish your training," he said. "It'll serve that bastard right."

Syaoran coughed, picking shyly at a food stain that had dried on his shirt.

"You're not going to fail the induction test," Kurogane added, sensing some insecurity in his pupil. Syaoran didn't respond, continuing picking at his frayed sleeve. Kurogane sighed and looked away. "Because you have to see that girl again, right?"

Syaoran looked up at him then, eyes widened slightly. Kurogane looked down at him from the corner of his gaze. The tiny boy looked down at his own soiled and scraped hands, a determined gleam overtaking his eyes as he slowly curled them into fists and gave his teacher a firm nod. Kurogane smiled just a bit.

"Then you won't fail," he said, simply. He leaned back against the tree and looked out across the field at the rows of striped tents and the large maypole strung with colored ribbons that floated on the wind. A bonfire was being built up on the edge of the fairground and girls were wandering around handing out flowers.

One girl, slender with glasses and short blond hair, approached the two boys standing at the edge of the grounds with a basket full of pink daisies.

"Happy May Day," she said, bowing her head, a garland of ivy twined through her hair. "Here. From a secret admirer."

He reached into her basket and drew forth a daisy, handing it kindly to Syaoran. For a moment the silent boy stared at it, confused, before hesitantly reaching out to take it. He looked, wide-eyed, up at his mentor.

"Don't look at me!" Kurogane snapped, looking away haughtily. "They just give you those things to put you in a good mood."

"Oh, no!" the girl exclaimed, covering her mouth. "A cute young girl asked me to give this young gentleman a present!"

"Oh, yeah? Who?" Kurogane said, crossing his arms.

The girl tapped her chin, risked a glance over her shoulder at a patch of trees, and then turned back to them with a bright smile.

"There was a message," she said, picking up the grass-stained hem of her white dress. "It said, 'To Syaoran-kun, please work hard and have a happy spring! From, Sakura.'!"

"Hmph," Kurogane grumbled as the girl moved away. He looked down at his pupil, opening his mouth to tell him not to bother with such nonsense, when he caught sight of the poor boy's flushed face.

The kid was staring down at the daisy, cupped in two hands, looking as though he hadn't seen anything more puzzling in his entire life. He shuffled his feet and clutched at the thing like it was gold, red as a tomato, completely frozen on the spot.

"Hyuu," came a voice, and it was Kurogane's turn to freeze. "Looks like someone got a really nice present!"

Kurogane whirled around and looked up at the tree, cursing himself that he hadn't sensed him there at all. Fai sat crouched on the lowest branch of the sycamore, head pillowed on his hands, smile like the curve of a painter's brush stroke. The wind tugged at his hair, made the arrows in the quiver on his back clink together, the lengthy coat that hung folded over the branch flutter noiselessly. Kurogane's eyes narrowed up at the blond, hand clenching into a fist against the tree.

"You-"

"Hey there, Kuro-min," Fai said, leaping down from the branch fluidly and gripping the strap of his quiver carelessly. "How've you been?"

"You moron," Kurogane snarled. "How do you think I've been?"

"Grumpy as always, I guess," Fai said, fake-pouting and slipping under the other archer's arm to lean companionably over a still-frozen Syaoran. "That's a nice daisy, Syaoran-kun."

Syaoran swallowed thickly, staring wide-eyed up at Fai as he nodded.

Fai smiled.

"Sakura-chan is watching the horses at the edge of the clearing," Fai said, and the boy's face turned three shades redder. "It should be okay for you to visit her for a few hours, right?"

Syaoran stared up at him.

"That is, if you wanted to see her," Fai added thoughtfully. Syaoran shook his head rapidly, clutching the daisy in one hand before turning and running off to the edge of the clearing as though worried that Fai's doubting words would reach her before he did.

"Maybe I needed him today," Kurogane growled at the blond's back.

Fai clasped his hands behind his back.

"Ah, but I needed to speak to Kuro-ruu today," Fai said, smiling over his shoulder at the younger man. "Alone."

"…Tch," Kurogane scoffed, looking away as a slight blush overtook his face. "Don't say it like that, moron."

Fai turned around and pointed to himself.

"Would Kuro-rin be my date for the spring festival?"

"Would you just shut up?!"

"That means yes!" Fai declared, grabbing the other man's hand and tugging him along. "Come on, there are free cakes over here!"

"Like I care about that!"

"Kuro-cake is such a wet blanket!"

Growling and grumbling, Kurogane allowed Fai to tug him through the crowded fairground, accepting a free pastry from one of the smiling girls and nipping the cherry off the top. Kurogane glared at him, ripping his hand free.

"Oi, quit stuffing your face," Kurogane ordered. "We need to talk."

"Do you want some?"

"N-" was as far as Kurogane got before Fai had stuffed the pastry into his mouth, grinning at his shocked expression as he swallowed on instinct, hacking and coughing. "You-!"

"Ahahahaha!"

"I'll kill you!" Kurogane snapped, throwing a punch at Fai. Fai ducked easily under the curve of his arm, taking off through the fairgrounds. Kurogane gave chase, cursing and hurling insults at the stupid blond, who laughed uncontrollably.

After a long-winded chase, Fai finally ducked into the forest and clambered up onto a flowered branch. Kurogane skidded to a stop and glared up at the blond, breathing heavily from the chase.

"You moron," he said as Fai traipsed along the length of the branch, tugging down a vine of pink and white flowers. "Are you going to stall until the festival is over or are you going to tell me why the hell you wrote that letter?"

"Ah, yes," Fai said, collapsing down against the branch, his back against the trunk of the tree and one leg dangling down. He twirled the bushel of flowers around in his lap, fiddling with them distractedly. "I wanted to talk to you."

"That's about the only thing you DID say in this useless letter," Kurogane said, pulling it from his pocket. "It's all gibberish."

"Kuro-kin didn't like my poems?"

"They're stupid!"

"They're code," Fai said, smiling away.

"Code?" Kurogane shot back, confused. "What the hell kind of code is this?"

He held the letter up to the blond, the paper fluttering in the wind. Fai smiled down at him from the corner of his eye before looking back down at the flowers in his lap, twining the stems together thoughtlessly.

"Read out the first one," he said.

"…I'm not going to do that," Kurogane growled, crumpling the paper a bit in his fist. "It's gibberish!"

"It's code, it's code!" Fai protested, laughing. "Let me see if I remember it…"

"It's stupid," Kurogane insisted.

"Sitting still, a loyal dog,  
He waits to catch a leaping frog  
Ears perked up, high and proud,  
Robins chorus bright and loud.  
When does the dog burst into song?  
Only when his master's gone.  
Only as master's face he greets  
Does doggy get to have his treats!"

There was a long silence before Kurogane scoffed and turned his back on the blond, sinking down at the base of the tree.

"Meaningless," he said. "Where's the code in that?"

"Look closely!" Fai said, all his concentration seemingly taken up in the act of braiding the flowers together into a long chain.

Grumbling, Kurogane stared down at the stupid poem, running his eyes over the lines, trying to find some kind of meaning in the words.

"Are they instructions?" he said, carefully. 'Treats' could be referring to a reward, and catching a leaping frog could mean a number of tasks he could see a rebellion carrying out.

"Not even close!" Fai said, the tail of the chain falling from the branch and dangling by Kurogane's head. He batted it away in annoyance. "It's not what the words mean, it's how the words come together."

"That doesn't make any sense-!" Kurogane began, before he took another long look at the poem and growled. "Sherwood."

"Hmm?"

"Sherwood, it says," he said grumpily. "The first letter of each sentence. You mean that forest by the border?"

"Kuro-min is so smart!" Fai trilled, neither answering yes or no. "How about the others?"

_2. Puppies always seem so weird, only robins don't!_

_3. Aren't silly words fun?  
They make no sense  
But I let them slide!  
Say them with me, Kuro-pii!  
RONAGUKE  
GPPPUIBY  
REREMOFG  
CICSENEO  
AFRETEMD  
KLEVORAF_

"…The first one's easy," Kurogane said, after studying it a moment. "It's 'password.'"

"Oh, is it?"

"Yeah. Idiot, don't pretend like it's not obvious. The first letter in each word spells out 'password.' So, what? Sherwood password?"

"And the third one?" Fai asked slyly, the chain letting a bit longer with every flower and inching down so that it dangled annoyingly in Kurogane's face. Again, he batted it away."

"…And nothing, the last one is gibberish."

"The last one is the best one!" Fai whined, tugging up the chain so that he could inspect it. "Try harder, Kuro-kii!"

Kurogane stared at it.

"That… Is it… No," he said, staring in deep concentration at the letters. "Idiot, just tell me what it means!"

"That defeats the purpose!" Fai pouted, leaping down from his branch with the flower-chain in his hand. He wandered over to the guard carelessly, tying the ends to make a makeshift crown. "Kuro-hun, when you figure it out, come find me."

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Kurogane growled, scrambling to his feet so that he towered over the blond. "These riddles don't make any sense!"

"Once you do," Fai said, tying off the end of the chain. "You'll be able to find me whenever you want. And you'll have proven yourself capable."

"Capable of what?" Kurogane snapped.

Fai laughed.

"It's a secret," Fai said mysteriously.

Kurogane grumbled to himself, staring down at the crumpled letter in his hands.

"…There," Fai said to himself, holding up the pink and white crown of flowers. "That's nice, isn't it? Fit for a king."

Kurogane ignored him, brooding down at the letter.

"Hmm, but the king we have doesn't deserve it," Fai said, sighing dramatically.

"Hn," Kurogane grunted distractedly.

"Then, Kuro-king can have it instead!"

Then, deftly, Fai reached up and placed the crown of flowers delicately on Kurogane's spiky head, pulling back just in time to see it slip down over one glaring eye. He laughed at the sight, patting Kurogane on the chest. "Kuro-saa makes a good king!"

"Shut up!" Kurogane said, reaching up to tug it off with a scowl before Fai's hands shot out and grabbed his, preventing him from moving. He glared down at the laughing blond, struggling with him for a moment as he tried to get a good grip on the stupid flowers when Fai was pulling his hands forward. He tugged and Fai was yanked forward against him, finally getting the crown free and lowering his hands.

Fai held his wrists at the level of his chest, mouth inches from his own, hands trapped between their bodies as he clutched at the stupid crown a little tighter. He could feel Fai's breath against his mouth and he swallowed, frozen to the spot and a little flushed at the unaccustomed closeness.

Unbidden, he felt his eyes closing and he inched forward, feeling just the barest brush of the other man's lips before Fai was pulling back, whirling around so that one hand was on his hip and the other was shading his vision.

"Hyuu, there's Sakura and Syaoran!" he said contentedly. "They're getting their faces painted!"

"…Oi," Kurogane said, reaching for Fai's arm.

"Let's go do that, huh Kuro-pii?"

"I don't want to-!"

"Come on!" Fai insisted, tugging him along towards the face-painting table and waving loudly at the two blushing children.

Sakura smiled brightly at the blond man, her hands covered in the watery dye that was dripping from Syaoran's face. There were hearts over his eyes like the spots of a puppy dog, and whiskers in a different colour stretching across his cheeks. In return, Sakura had a cherry blossom painted on one cheek, the pinkish dye covering Syaoran's fingers as it hung guiltily as his side.

"Yuui!" Sakura called. "Look what Syaoran painted?"

"Very nice!" Fai said, nodding and ignoring the suspicious look Kurogane was burning into the back of his head at the name. "You're quite the artist!"

Syaoran blushed thickly and looked down at his feet.

"Does Kuro-kin want to be made into a puppy?" Fai asked, dipping his hand in the brown dye. Kurogane wrenched his arm back.

"Don't you DARE!"

* * *

Hours later, Kurogane sat, grumpy and pouting with dye dripping from his face, on the hill at the edge of the fairground, glaring at Fai as he munched on a caramel apple. Sakura and Syaoran had fallen asleep next to one another, nestled in the tall grass and clasping hands. The sun was setting and an orange hue had settled over the fairgrounds. A few couples lingered, but most of the patrons had already left to return to their troubles.

"Were you here to assassinate the king?" Kurogane asked suddenly, keeping his gaze straight forward.

"The king didn't show up," Fai remarked lightly, licking the caramel from where it has drizzled on his hands. "As expected."

"Hmph," Kurogane grunted, irritated with how Fai seemed unable to give him a straight answer. "Are you going to take the kid?"

"No, I'm leaving him with you," Fai said. "He's safer that way."

Kurogane was a bit relieved to hear it, but looked away instead of saying so.

"Then why did you ask to see me?"

"I wanted to," Fai said, simply.

Kurogane looked at him, heart beating just a few seconds too fast. Fai smiled softly at him, lowering the caramel apple.

"I wanted to see you," he said. "Also, I thought you'd need a little help with the codes, but mostly I just wanted to see you again."

"…Idiot," Kurogane managed, before he leaned forward and captured Fai's sticky, caramel-covered lips.

* * *

**Notes:** Someone asked about the age difference between Kuro and Fai. A few people, actually. Fai is six years older than Kurogane, meaning Kuro was twelve when he met Fai. At the end of the last chapter, Fai was 25 and Kurogane was 19. Currently, Fai is 26 and Kurogane is 20.


End file.
